Uranium, Non-renewable Resource. (Pitch bland)

Pros of using Uranium Energy.

Cons of using uranium energy.

*Lower carbon dioxide (and other green house gases) released in the atmosphere in power generation.

*Low operating costs (relatively).

*Known, developed technology “ready” for market.

*Large power-generating capacity able to meet industrial and city needs (as opposed to low-power technologies like solar that might meet only local, residential, or office needs but cannot generate power for heavy manufacturing).

*Existing and future nuclear waste can be reduced through waste recycling and reprocessing, similar to Japan and the EU (at added cost).

*High construction costs due to complex radiation containment systems and procedures.

*High subsidies needed for construction and operation, as well as loan guarantees.

*Subsidies and investment could be spent on other solutions (such as renewable energy systems).

*High-known risks in an accident.

*Unknown risks.

*Long construction time.

*Target for terrorism (as are all centralized power generation sources).

*Waste lasts 200 – 500 thousand years.

Uranium, Non-renewable Resource. (Pitch blend)

by Annabelle K. Reynolds

About Uranium.

Uranium is a chemical element with symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-white metal in the actinides series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons of which 6 are valence electrons.

<img src="http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/nuclear-energy-facts-e1430033097434.jpg" alt="nuclear-energy-facts"/>

Chernobyl Accident.

About Uranium.

Radio Active Waste

Nuclear waste is produced at every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle, from uranium mining and enrichment, to reactor operation and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. Much of this nuclear waste will remain hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years, leaving a poisonous legacy to future generations.

The Chernobyl disaster (also referred to as Chernobyl or the Chernobyl accident) was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Pripyat, in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.

The Chernobyl disaster was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and casualties.[1] It is one of only two classified as a level 7 event (the maximum classification) on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011.[2] The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated 18 billion rubles.[3] During the accident itself, 31 people died, and long-term effects such as cancers are still being investigated

Uranium is found within the earth's crust. It can be found in rocks, soil, rivers and oceans.

Uranium is extracted from the rock where it is found and then enriched in the uranium-235 isotope before being made into pellets. Uranium is a common metal, and it is available to the world's need of energy supply. The world's known uranium resources have increased by at least one-quarter in the last decade. This is because of the increase in nuclear exploration.

Depleted uranium is used in kinetic energy penetration and armor plating. Uranium is used as a colorant in uranium glass producing orange-red to lemon-yellow hues.

Uranium can supply energy for the world's electricity with less greenhouse effect than virtually any other energy source.

he energy produced per amount of material consumed is the highest available

costs are competitive with coal, the major source used in the world

uranium, the source material, is abundant

plutonium, a by-product of commercial nuclear plant operation, can also be used as a fuel

the amount of waste produced is the least of any major energy production process

nuclear energy provides benefits other than electricity generation.

Uranium is radio active and remains so because of its long physical half-life. It takes the human body 15 days to eliminate half of the amount of uranium. Normal functioning of the kidney, brain, liver and heart an be affected by uranium exposure, because uranium is a toxic metal. This can cause long term health effects.